Lee Bul: Prints

Acclaimed South Korean artist Lee Bul is best known for her sculptures and installation works, a spectacular example of which is on show at the ArtScience Museum exhibition, New Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed. 

For this solo show at STPI, she has made some intriguing spin-offs of her three-dimensional works, using unconventional materials such as copper powder and iron filings, as well as employing the technical expertise of STPI’s printmakers to create intricate prints. 

During her residency here in 2018, she created more than 60 works across five series. One series inspired by her sculpture Souterrain (2012/2016) features the dizzying, fractured surfaces created using as many as 16 layers of screen- and foil-printing. 

Another series is a take on her famous female cyborg sculptures, using copper powder which oxidises, creating different patinas that make each print one of a kind. 

There will be an installation in the show with a mirrored floor, so visitors are advised to dress appropriately. 

Fans can try their luck if they want to catch the artist in conversation with acclaimed curator Xiaoyu Weng on Saturday in an opening event. Registration for the event has closed and there are limited spaces for walk-ins.

This show is part of STPI’s year-long celebration of its 21st anniversary. 

Where: STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay
MRT: Fort Canning
When: Saturday to Dec 23, Mondays to Saturdays, 10am to 7pm; Sundays, 11am to 5pm; closed on public holidays
Admission: Free
Info: stpi.com.sg/exhibitions

Singapore Clay Festival 

This second edition of the festival is back at a bigger venue with more than 200 claymakers hawking their wares. More than 3,000 works will be on sale over the weekend. 

But the festival offers more than just shopping. There are three exhibitions which showcase Singapore’s studio pottery culture since the 1980s.

Shaping Clay highlights the works of eight practising ceramicists in the scene today.

Ng Eng Teng At Studio 106 spotlights the work of the pioneering potter, who studied pottery at North Staffordshire College of Technology in Britain from 1962 to 1963.

Red: Works From Singapore Clay is a collaboration between Singapore Clay Festival and SG Enable. Invited potters were each given 10kg of clay from Redhill. The works are for sale and proceeds will go to the Enabling Village’s extension building fund. 

If what is on display inspires you, check out the demonstrations and workshops which will happen throughout the weekend. 

Where: Artspace @ Helutrans, 01-05 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
When: Thursday to Sunday, Thursday, 10am to noon by invitation only, noon to 8pm open to public; Friday and Saturday, 10am to 8pm; Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Last entry daily at 7.30pm and on Sunday at 5.30pm
Admission: $10 an adult from Eventbrite (str.sg/iGxF). Free for kids under 1.2m
Info: str.sg/iGxy

The Origins Cipher 

This cross-cultural performance teams musicians from Siong Leng Musical Association with their counterparts who hail from South Korea’s Jeju province.

In five scenes inspired by ancient Chinese texts, Tang poetry and Jeju poetry, they will blend nanyin and gugak.

Nanyin music is a traditional form that originated in China’s Fujian province, while gugak, translated literally as national music, is traditional Korean music which encompasses various genres from pansori (musical storytelling) to nongak (a community tradition melding music, dance and folk ritual). 

This collaboration between Siong Leng and the Esplanade is supported by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, commemorating the opening of the Jeju office in Singapore. 

Where: Esplanade Concert Hall, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive
MRT: Esplanade/City Hall
When: Friday, 8pm
Admission: From $30 at Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
Info: str.sg/iGfo